stratford



Mml") 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. STRATFORD. 7 APPARATUS FOR VENTI'LATING ANDPURIPYING SE'WERS.

lia-259,729. Patented.June 20,188Z.

BY w/MW ATTORNEY PETERS. Photu-(hho n her. wamin tom D. C

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. STRATFORD. APPABAI'U'SFOR VENTILATING AND PURIFYING SEWERS.No.259,729.

Patented June 20, 1882.

W w Y 1 n m I I H m m m S W m M S .WW /Mm m m u u INVENTOR WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

JAMES STRATFORD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ELIAS S.HAWLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING AND PURIFYING SEWER S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,729, dated June 20,1882. I Application filed November 11, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES STRATFORD, acitizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erieand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Apparatus for Ventilating and Purifying Sewers; and I doherebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide for a thorough ventilation andpurification of a system of sewers in a city or town; and to this end itconsists broadly in removing the obnoxious gases at suitable points inthe trunk and branch sewers and passing such gases through adisinfecting-chamber out into the open air. I

The apparatus which I. have found most expedient and effective incarrying out my invention consists substantially of amain chamberconnected by suitable pipes with the interior of the trunk or branchsewer. In the end of this chamber at which connection is made with thesewer is located a fan-blower, by means of which a proper suction isproduced, which draws the gases from the sewer into such chamber. Thesegases are passed from thence through the fan-blower'into an interiorchamber having double reticulated walls filled in with suitabledisinfecting materials, which remove the impurities from the gasespassing through. The purified gases then pass over through a suit-ablechimney or flue into the open air.

To further assist in the passage of the gases through my improvedapparatus, I have found it desirable in some instances to provide anadditional suction-fan, located at the bottom of the chimney or flue.The effect of this extra suction-fan is to produce a partial vacuumoutside of the disinfecting-chamber, and thereby assist in drawing thegases through the walls of such chamber and discharging them into theopen air through the chimney or flue.

My invention further consists in an automatic valve to be used inconnection with and as a part of my improved apparatus when it islocated near the mouth of a sewer.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved apparatuswith a portion 5 5 broken away to show the interior structure. Fig. 2 isavertical transverse section taken on the line m m, Fig. 1, also showingthe sewer in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken onthe line 3 3 Fig. l,also showing 6c a similar section of the sewer. Fig.4 is aperspective view of the automatic valve, and Fig.

5 is a plan showing a system of sewers with my improved apparatusapplied thereto.

Referring to the drawings, a is a building, one end of whichcommunicates with the sewer through the pipe a. This building is made ofsuitable shape and dimensions to accommodate the suction fan or fans anddisinfecting apparatus.

b is the chimney or flue, which communicates at the bottom with theinterior of the building, and through which the purified gases pass tothe open air.

0 is an air-tight partition, which divides the 7 5 interior of thebuilding into two compartments, (1 and d. In the compartment cl isplaced the suction-fan e, the discharge-pipe c of which passes throughthe partition 0 and into the disinfecting-chamber f. This chamher f isbuilt with double reticulated walls f f, between which is placedsuitable disinfect ing material f such as charcoal, chloride of lime,850. g is an auxiliary suction-fan,located near the opening of thechimney into the compartment d. Just above this fan 9 is placed thediaphragm g, through which the dischargepipe-g of fan 9 passes. Thisdiaphragm is necessary in order that a partial vacuum may be produced byfan 9 in the compartment cl, to assist in drawing the gases out of thedisinfecting-chamber.

In Fig. 5 I have shown in plan view the adaptation of my improvedapparatus toa system of sewers, in which it is the trunksewer, 5

71. the branch sewer, and IL2 the connections be tween the sewers andhouses, all shown in dotted lines. At the top left-hand corner of thefigure I have located one of my devices, which, as will be seen by thedirection of the arrows j, collects and discharges the gases whichaccumulate in the sewers in its vicinity. The suction fan or fans maybeoperated with power from the factory L, communicated by shaft is andbelt k At the mouth lot the trunk sewer I have located another of mydevices, which operates in a similar manner to the one just described,the necessary power being obtained from any suitable motor located at a.

In order that a proper suction may be obtained in the right direction,as indicated by the arrow m, it is necessary that provision should bemade to prevent the admission of air at the mouth l of the sewer h,which would otherwise be a serious obstacle to the effective working ofmy device. To overcome this obstacle I have provided the automatic valvewhich is clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, in which 0 is the gate.lhis gate is so hinged to the segmental piece 0 that it can only swingin the direction of the mouth lot the sewer. 0 are segmental sidepieces, which, with the piece 0, serve to permanently close that part ofthe sewer around the rectangular gate 0, except the lower part, wherethe sewage flows out. During an ordinary flow of sewage the spacebetween the bottom of the gate 0 and the bottom of the sewer issuificient tor the discharge of such sewage, and the gate and sewagetogether forman eii'ectual barrier to the entrance of air from without,which would otherwise rush in at the mouth of the sewer and prevent theeifective working of my improved apparatus. 7 Should there be a rise inthe outflowing stream of sewage, the gate 0 will be swung upwardly andoutwardly between the wings 0 by the force of the sewage to accommodatesuch increased outflow, and it will still be impossible for the air toenter from without, for the gate 0 and wings 0 (which [it closely to thesides of the gate,) together with the stream of sewage, will still forma practically impassible barrier to the ingress of air. It will thus bereadily seen that by this arrangement the outside air is at all timesprevented from entering at the mouth of the sewer in such quantities asto impair the et't'ective working of my improved apparatus when it islocated at or near the mouth of the sewer.

Thesuction-fan E, beingset in motion,serves to draw the gases from thesewer through the connection a and into the compartment d. From thencethey pass, by the action of the fan, into the disinfecting-chamber f,and are forced through its reticulated walls into the compartment at. Inpassing through the walls of the chamberf the disinfecting materialfrees the gases of their impurities, and they are discharged in thisstate through the chimney I) out into the open air. I do not considerthe auxiliary fan 9 as entirely essential to the perfect working of mydevice, although it is evident that it is of great assistance in passingthe gases through the disinfecting material.

The disinfectirig-chamber might be placed at the top of the chimney orflue with advantageous results; but the present location of this chamberis perhaps the best on account of the easy access which may be had to itfor purposes of renewal or repair.

It will be seen that by my improved apparatus I am enabled to thoroughlyventilate the sewers of a city by removing the obnoxious gases generatedtherein and purifying such gases before discharging them into the openair.

My apparatus is located at such points in a system of sewerage as tothoroughly drain the entire system, and thereby prevent the escape ofsewer-gas in houses and streets.

I claim- 1. In ventilating and purifying the sewers of a city, anapparatus consisting substantially of a disinfecting-chamber havingdouble reticulated walls filled in with disinfecting material, combinedand operating in connection with a suction fan or fans, suchdisinfectingchamber being connected both with the sewers and the openair, whereby the sewer gases may be passed through the walls of such(lisini'ecting-chamber by the action of the fan or fans, and therebypurified before being discharged into the open air, substantially asshown and described.

2. An apparatus for ventilating and purifying sewers, consisting of adisinfecting-chamber having double reticulated walls filled in withdisinfecting material, as shown, and a suction fan or fans for drawingthe obnoxious gases from the sewer and passing them through the walls ofthe disintecting-chamber in order to remove their impurities, the wholebeing inclosed in a suitable building having connection with the sewer,and provided with a flue through which the purified gases are dischargedinto the open air, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an apparatus for ventilating and purifying sewers, the combinationof the suctionfans a and g with the disinfecting-chamber f, all locatedand operating within the building a, provided with connection a and flueb at its ends, substantially as shown and described.

at. In an apparatus for ventilating and purifying sewers, thecombination, with the suction-fan 0 and disinfecting-chamber f,operating, as shown, within the building a, of the automatic valve 0,located within the sewer, near its connection with the building a, toprevent; the ingress of air from the mouth of the sewer, substantiallyas shown and described.

5. In an apparatus for ventilating and purifying sewers, the automaticvalve consisting of the swinging gate 0 and wings 0 0 operating as shownand described, and for the purpose stated. 7

JAMES STRATFORD. Witnesses:

P. C. DEMING, W. T. MILLER.

